Today the use of PDF files and documents are increasingly used for both home and professional use. When working with them, we must know that both to view and edit their content it will be necessary to have a dedicated application for this, since Windows does not incorporate any utility natively by default. If we are not willing to pay for it, we can use a free tool like PicoPDF , which we will talk about below.
PDF files have the particularity of being able to incorporate all kinds of elements such as graphics, texts, signatures, forms and multimedia elements such as images, audio and video, without losing their shape. If we need to view PDF files we can find a wide catalog of applications on the market. But if we also want to edit it, things get complicated, especially if we don’t want to pay for it.
PicoPDF is a program developed by NHC Software to view and edit PDF completely free of charge. With this tool we can add text or edit an existing text, make design adjustments and insert, move or delete images. The application works without the need for an Internet connection, doing all the work locally, so it will not be necessary to upload our documents to third-party servers.
Main features to take into account of PicoPDF:
- Edit existing text or add new text
- Rearrange text and graphics
- Add notes and comments to documents
- Delete or move embedded images
- Add an image to our PDF file
- Write in blanks to fill out PDF forms
- Add a digital signature to a PDF
Allows you to edit documents … if you can open them correctly
When starting to use the application we find a very simple interface, usually with a task bar at the top from where we can directly access its functions. The entire interface is entirely in English, without the possibility of changing the language, which can be a handicap for some users when it comes to getting around, especially at first.
To insert any PDF file, simply drag and drop it on its interface or from the “Open” icon. It will only be necessary to navigate through Windows Explorer and select the desired file to open it. Of course, when opening it, it is a bit slow to load it, so its appearance on the screen cannot be said to be instantaneous.
We have also had problems viewing some PDF documents, not displaying them correctly, in some cases, which prevents us from working efficiently. It also does not have a tab system to be able to open several documents at the same time, not even a button to close the open file. If we want to close it, it will be necessary to access the “File” tab and select “Close”.
If we have managed to visualize the document correctly, we can insert text by simply clicking with the left button on a part of the text. We can also edit text or correct any errors through the “Edit Text” tab of the toolbar. The program is capable of recognizing the text format of the document and keeping it for the changes we make. It also allows us both undo and redo, although we do not have dedicated buttons for this. In this case we can use the traditional keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + z and Ctrl + y.
Through the “Move” button we can move any content and drag it to another location. In the case of wanting to add any image we must use the “Add Image” button. The program is compatible with different image formats such as JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIF or PSD, among others. Although it must be said that this function has not worked for us as it should. Once we have finished making the appropriate modifications, we can save the changes made. For this we can use the “Save” option if we want to save it directly over the original file, or use “Save As” if we want to save it as a separate document.
Conclusions: is it worth betting on PicoPDF?
The use of PicoPDF has left us a rather bittersweet taste. Not surprisingly, it has not been easy to open and view any PDF, so when it comes to making modifications, it has been quite complicated for us. Something that is strange because when viewing them with other programs such as Foxit Reader there is no problem.
Given the lack of compatibility when opening the files, there are functions such as adding an image that we have been able to get to work. Add text to move a block if it has been possible, although it is not possible to speak of a satisfactory experience either. At least it is a free program, so it can always be downloaded to test that it can work for us and if it adapts to what we are looking for. Otherwise there are other applications and, even online editors, that can be of better help to us.
Download PicoPDF for free
PicoPDF is a completely free tool that we can download from its website . The application works on Windows 10, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1, being compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Installation is done quickly and easily through its wizard without ever trying to get us to install unwanted third-party programs. The program is quite light, once installed it only occupies 1.92 MB, consuming few system resources during its use.
Alternatives to PicoPDF
If we are looking for a program with which to view and edit PDFs, we suggest some alternatives to PicoPDF to take into account:
PDF BOB
It is a completely online editor for PDF, so we will not need to download any software to our computer since all the tasks will be carried out with our web browser. With this application we can add text and annotations to our documents, as well as use its different editing tools. It will be possible to insert circles, lines, arrows and rectangles. To enjoy it, you only need to access its website .
Soda PDF
This free application allows us to create PDF files from 300 different formats, as well as modify all their content. It is also compatible with cloud systems such as OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox, and performs its functions from a web browser. In addition, it has an OCR function to transform scanned documents and images into editable PDFs. We can download it from this link .
PDFsam Basic
This tool allows us to easily edit our PDF files, being able to divide, rotate documents or extract pages. It also allows you to mix PDF files by combining two or more files, as well as join or separate documents. We can download PDFsam Basic for free from here .
